TE
From the collection of the
n
parec
with
televi
For \
ries,
pro9
duce<
Civil
bilizc
tionc
Co., i
the i
visior
ter. I.
possibi
major
ticularly
V
i
m
Prelinger
library
p
tVlYE
'.LEAR
ACK
San Francisco, California
2008
e effects of
disasters — por-
nuclearattack.
DEPARTMENj OF DEFENSE
Office of 3ivil Defense
Mav|l959
Reprinted September 1961
AXIOM FOR SURVIVAL
If this country is attacked with nuclear weapons
you. can protect yourself l^t* first, ygttmust knaw
what to- do audt ha^ ta do it.
A 20 -megaton explosion on the surface of the earth
can kill most people and destroy most buildings
within a 5 -mile radius of ground zero, a total of about
80 square miles.
The most likely targets are big cities — industrial
areas — military centers.
However, you are not safe merely because you live
far away from likely targets.
Distance protects you against heat and blast, but
not against radioactive fallout which goes anywhere
and can kill or injure the unprotected and the un-
prepared.
Without protection from fallout, millions would
die who otherwise would survive. Put more posi-
tively, millions of Americans could save their lives
by learning what to do -and doing it.
for Survival
This booklet was pre-
pared in connection
with the educational
television series, "Ten
For Survival." The se-
ries, consisting of 10
programs, was pro-
duced for the Office of
Civil and Defense Mo-
bilization by the Na-
tional Broadcasting
Co., in association with
the Educational Tele-
vision and Radio Cen-
ter. It describes the
possible effects of
major disasters — par-
ticularly nuclear attack.
SURVIVE
NUCLEAR
ATTACK
DEPARTMENl OF DEFENSE
Office of ^ivil Defense
Ma\^1959
Reprinted Sept8mber 1961
AXIOM FOR SURVIVAL
If this country is attacked with nuclear weapons
you. can protect yourself Kit. first, yqu: must knaw
what to- do andt hfyM ta do- it.
A 20-megaton explosion on the surface of the earth
can kill most people and destroy most buildings
within a 5 -mile radius of ground zero, a total of about
80 square miles.
The most likely targets are big cities — industrial
areas— mihtary centers.
However, you are not safe merely because you live
far away from likely targets.
Distance protects you against heat and blast, but
not against radioactive fallout which goes anywhere
and can kill or injure the unprotected and the un-
prepared.
Without protection from fallout, millions would
die who otherwise would survive. Put more posi-
tively, millions of Americans could save their lives
by learning what to do and doing it.
KNOWLEDGE
IS YOUR KEY
TO SURVIVAL
To protect yourself at the time of a nuclear
explosion, you must understand NOW the hazards
you would face.
You probably will be warned in advance by siren
or radio that attack is coming. The Air Force, with
its far-flung detection network, and the Office of
Civil Defense are working together to do everything
possible to warn you.
But surprise attack could come. You must know
what to do if it does.
YOU SHOULD KNOW THE
THREE MAIN DESTRUCTIVE
EFFECTS OF A
NUCLEAR EXPLOSION
HEAT, BLAST, FALLOUT
HEAT
Dangers facing you: The bomb produces heat
of several million degrees— a good deal hotter than
the temperature on the surface of the sun. This
heat travels at the speed of light. A megaton explo-
sion could kill an unshielded man 8 miles from ground
zero. A 20-megaton explosion could kill an un-
shielded man 20 miles away. It could bUster and
cripple the bodies of unsheltered people well beyond
that.
What you should do: Beyond the 5-mile radius
of total destruction, but still within range of the
immediate killing power of the bomb, you would
have split seconds to save your life.
You would have to act with instinctive speed to
take cover behind whatever was at hand.
BLAST
Dangers facing you: The shock waves of blast
from a nuclear explosion travel about 900 miles
an hour— nine times the force of a major hurricane!
Blast could destroy a brick building 9X miles from
ground zero.
What you should do: If caught unprotected
beyond the 5 -mile circle of total destruction you
could save your life with an instantaneous dive for
cover.
Cover is the same for both heat and blast.
In open country it
might be a ditch or culvert.
Lie face down and stay
there until the heat and
blast waves have passed.
In the city it might be
a wall, a building, or even
a truck.
Indoors it would be the
floor (behind furniture or
as close to an inside wall
as possible).
THE MAIN IDEA-
GET BEHIND SOMETHING
FALLOUT
Dangers facing you:
The millions of tons of
pulverized earth and de-
bris sucked up as high as
15 miles by the fireball of
a large nuclear explosion
become a deadly radio-
active fallout cloud. It
spreads its lethal radio-
activity over wide areas,
hundreds of miles down-
wind from ground zero.
Fallout radioactivity can-
not be detected by taste
or touch. Sometimes, but
not always, the fine ash or
dust carrying the radioac-
tivity is visible. It fills the
atmosphere, the air you
breathe, and attacks the
vital organs of your body
with invisible radiation.
PROTECTION FROM FALLOUT
The best protection against fallout radiation is a
fallout shelter. Every family should have one. It
can be an area in a building of such heavy construc-
tion as to afford the required shielding or a shelter
designed to be a unit of a family dwelling.
Several types of family fallout shelters are de-
scribed and illustrated in a booklet entitled "The
Family Fallout Shelter", MP 15. Copies may be
obtained from your local civil defense director.
Basement Concrete Block Shelter, designed as
a do-it-yourself project. Solid concrete blocks are
used to build it.
Underground Concrete Shelters, one designed
as a basement shelter in new housing, and one as an
outdoor, underground shelter.
T
THESE SHELTERS WILL PROVIt
^^•••^^.*:.'v;'v»»»»**'*'*
,»» ».'<♦♦.. ^ '
Preshaped Metal Shelter, built by placing pre-
shaped corrugated metal sections on or close to the
surface of the ground and mounding them over with
earth.
Aboveground Double-Wall Shelter, which is
a double-walled, concrete block structure with the
walls built nearly 2 feet apart. The space between
the walls is filled with earth. A roof is built of either
poured concrete or wood and covered with earth.
YOU WITH EXCELLENT PROTECTION
11
If you are caught by fallout away from a shelter
or have no shelter in your home, the best place to
be in order of the protection you would get would be :
1. In a corner of a basement.
2. In the center of the basement.
(Sandbags covering basement windows will in-
crease protection.)
3. First floor inside hallway of a two-story house.
4. Inside hallway of a one-story house.
SHELTER IN APARTMENT
BUILDINGS
Apartment buildings generally provide more fall-
out protection than houses.
The central area of the ground floor of an apart-
ment building provides good shelter. The subsur-
face basement of a heavy apartment building might
give as much fallout protection as a concrete block
shelter in the basement of a house.
If your fallout shelter is to be an apartment house
basement, you should survey it in advance to assure
that there is ventilation, water, lighting, and the
other requirements of a prepared shelter. You
would probably have time to carry your family sup-
plies from your apartment to the basement after an
attack warning before any fallout arrives. If not,
a quick trip from the basement to your apartment
to get supplies is not likely to present any significant
additional hazard.
The Department of Defense has initiated a
nationwide survey to identify, mark, and stock
potential fallout shelter space in existing structures.
In addition, some Federal buildings will be used to
determine the best methods of modifying existing
structures to provide usable fallout shelter space,
and dual -purpose fallout shelters will be included
in certain new Federal buildings.
HOW WILL YOU KNOW
IF YOU ARE IN A
FALLOUT AREA?
Radiation from fallout cannot be detected by
sight, taste, smell, hearing, or touch. If an un-
usual amount of dust is accumulating outside your
house following a nuclear explosion you should as-
sume it is radioactive. However, you should not
depend on such an uncertain method of detection.
13
CONELRAD will be your main source of informa-
tion on fallout and protective measures you might
take. This is the national system of emergency
broadcasting that goes into effect when the Com-
mander of the North American Air Defense Com-
mand determines an air attack is imminent or under
way.
This is why you should have a battery-powered
portable radio in your shelter. When CONELRAD
goes into effect all broadcasting stations except
CONELRAD stations go off the air. The CONEL-
RAD stations broadcast on two frequencies, 640 or
1240 on your dial.
14
Over these CONELRAD channels your local civil
defense officials will give you warning of fallout and
let you know when you can safely leave shelter.
In rural sections or other localities where CONEL-
RAD may not be operative, local officials may
use different methods of communication. This
is another reason why everyone should know his
local survival plans and his part in them.
HOW LONG WILL YOU
HAVE TO STAY
IN SHELTER?
Radiation from fallout decreases with time. Also,
it is not possible to know in advance what the amount
of fallout or dose rate would be in any given place.
Therefore, the time you would have to remain in
shelter can only be determined accurately by meas-
uring the dose-rate of the fallout in your immediate
vicinity.
Radiological instruments frequently termed "citi-
zens' instruments" -are available commercially at
relatively low cost. In an emergency, they will
15
enable you to determine the dose-rate around you
and to locate the most protected portion of your
home after fallout arrives. However, you should
not leave your shelter permanently or evacuate
on the basis of reading your meter. Without instruc-
tions from local or State officials you might blunder
into even heavier radiation than that at your shelter.
Where widespread and heavy fallout occurs local
officials might decide to evacuate people to safer
areas. You should keep tuned to CONELRAD
for advice and guidance.
IF YOU THINK YOU
HAVE FALLOUT ON YOU
Without a meter you cannot be sure that the dust
or fallout on you is radioactive. If you are sure or
suspect that it is radioactive, remove your outer
garments outside the shelter and leave them there.
Wash the uncovered parts of your body and throw
the water outside the shelter.
If any unpackaged food has been exposed to fall-
out, decontaminate it by peeling and washing. Do
not discard the food. Food may be in very short
supply; and even though contaminated, eating it
would be better than starving.
16
DISCASCU "^' *
OUTER GARMENT:
WASH EXPOSED
PARTS OF BODY
WASH AND PEEL
yNPACKAGED
OOD
17
PREPARE NOW FOR
LIVING IN A SHELTER
Every family should have a minimum 14-day
supply of food and water, since except for very
brief departures from your shelter you could be
pinned down longer than 2 weeks.
However, as in all planning for emergency, it is
best to plan against the worst. It is possible that
in instances local officials could not supply all of the
people in their jurisdictions. There also might be
instances of severe fallout from recurring attack that
would keep people in their shelters for an extended
period. A good plan would be to have 2 weeks' or
more supply of food on hand at all times.
You should know:
1. Where to find safe water.
2. How to turn off" water service valve.
3. How to purify water.
4. What foods to store and how to prepare them.
5. What foods are unsafe.
6. How to dispose of garbage.
7. How to dispose of human wastes.
8. How to make soil bags.
9. What to do with frozen foods.
18
BEFORE DISASTER STRIKES.
YOU SHOULD HAVE ON^ HAND :
1. Flashlight and extra batteries.
2. Battery-powered portable radio and extra
batteries.
3. First-aid kits.
4. Stored water or other liquid —7 gallons per
person for 2 weeks. Water in hot water tanks, in
toilet tanks, and ice cubes in a refrigerator can be
used as an additional source.
5. A 14-day supply of food, paper plates, and
napkins.
6. Cooking and eating utensils, measuring cup, can
and bottle openers, pocket knife, and matches.
7. Special foods for babies and invalids.
19
8. Large garbage can (20 gallons).
9. Smaller can for human wastes (10 gallons).
10. Covered pail for bathroom purpKDses.
11. Toilet tissue, paper towels, personal sanitary-
supplies, disposable diapers, and soap.
12. One blanket per person, rubber sheeting, and
special equipment for the sick.
13. Grocery bags, and a week's accumulation of
newspapers for wrapping garbage.
14. Two pints of household chlorine, and 1 quart
of 5 percent DDT.
15. Wrench, screwdriver, and shovel; axe and
crowbar to free yourself from debris, if necessary, or
to help others to do so.
16. Waterproof gloves.
YOU'LL BE ON YOUR OWN
Impure water and unsafe food can make you sick.
Garbage and human wastes can spread disease if not
wrapped and placed in closed containers. They
should be disposed of as soon as it is safe to leave
your shelter. Public services which now guard your
family's health may be knocked out temporarily by a
nuclear attack. Sewer mains may be broken. Gar-
bage collection may not exist. Fresh food and milk
will not be delivered. You will be on your own
until these facilities can be restored.
20
YOU MUST HAVE SAFE FOODS
Precooked foods, baby foods, fruit juices, canned
vegetables and soups, and canned meat and fish
are easily stored (the cans are easily washed off if
they become contaminated with fallout). Packages
of cereals and dried foods, raisins, and chocolate are
quick sources of energy.
Avoid salty foods. They will increase
your consumption of drinking water.
Avoid frozen food; it spoils when defrosted.
Store small-size, one-meal-only cans of
foods, since the means of preserving left-
overs may not be available.
Do not eat any produce from your home
garden without first decontaminating it.
Any fruit or vegetable that can be peeled
(bananas, citrus fruits, potatoes) is safe
to eat after it has been wiped off and peeled.
Any container that has held water used
for washing off fallout must be rinsed
and wiped off before being used again.
21
RADIATION SICKNESS
rs NOT CONTAGIOUS
If you have a case of radiation sickness in your
shelter remember:
An exposed person is not himself radioactive, nor
do the things he touches become radioactive. He
cannot affect another person — unless he has radio-
active fallout on his skin or clothing. This can be
removed by washing the skin and discarding the
clothing.
22
KNOWLEDGE IS
SURVIVAL POWER
More people could be in danger from fallout in a
nuclear attack than from blast or heat.
They must have shelters and know how to live in
them if they are to survive.
THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW
Further information on survival can be obtained
from the following OCD publications.
Facts About Fallout Protection, L-18.
Fire Fighting for Householders, PB-4, revised
May 1958.
First Aid: Emergency Kit; Emergency Action,
L -12, revised April 1958.
Home Protection Exercises, MP-1, revised Sep-
tember 1958.
The Family Fallout Shelter, MP-15.
These publications can be purchased from the Su-
perintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Print-
ing Office, Washington 25, D.C., at nominal cost.
23
tl U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1961 O — 608404
TVNews
OpenLibrary